“Vertigo” reissue sure to leave you dizzy

James Stewart and Kim Novak in “Vertigo.” Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Review by Julian Cordero

On a trip to San Francisco to promote “Strangers On A Train,” Alfred Hitchcock got the idea to base a film there. Hitchcock loved to put the audience in a familiar place, playing on their comfort level, and then introduce something in to shake it up. Many years after that first idea, Hitchcock delivered another classic, “Vertigo.”

Frequent Hitchcock collaborator Jimmy Stewart plays Detective John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson, a policeman who begins to suffer from agoraphobia (fear of heights) after watching a fellow officer fall to his death during a rooftop chase. Scottie is forced to retire as his fear becomes more and more intense. Unable to work as a cop, he becomes a private investigator and is then hired by Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) to follow his wife Madeleine Elster (Kim Novak). Gavin believes his wife may be suffering from some sort of mental illness.

Scottie finds Madeline visiting the grave of a woman, Carlotta Valdes, a woman who died 100 years in the past. During one of his surveillance jobs, Madeline leads Scottie to a museum where she sits and stares at a painting of Valdes. Scottie notices several unmistakable similarities between the woman in the painting and Madeline.

Later, Scottie makes contact with Madeline after she attempts to jump into San Francisco Bay, at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. He has become quite attracted to her by this point. In an attempt to help Madeline purge herself of some sort of ghostly memories of Carlotta, Scottie takes her to Mission San Juan Bautista, where suddenly Madeline begins to relive Carlotta’s memories. Madeline runs away, to the top of the mission’s bell tower. Scottie’s fear prevents him from following her and before he can muster any will to chase after Madeline, he watches as she falls and dies.

An investigation clears Scottie of her death, but he suffers a mental breakdown. After spending some time in a mental hospital, Scottie, still in love with Madeline, returns to the places he visited with Madeline. But the story doesn’t end here. Like the greatest of Hitchcock’s movies, “Vertigo” spins the story on its side in order to work its way to a shocking ending.

Hitchcock was a meticulous man who made sure to plan every aspect of every film long before the cameras were rolling. He chose his writers and actors carefully. His crew was loyal and emulated the master’s work ethic. All this becomes evident in the DVD extras. The first disc comes with commentary with Associate Producer Herbert Coleman and the film restoration team of Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz, among others. There’s also a feature commentary with director William Friedkin. An alternate ending, called “Foreign Censorship Ending” is also included. Finally, there’s a section of archive material, production notes and trailers for the original issue of the film and its restoration issue.

And much like the “Psycho” reissue, the second disc holds the best part of the extras. ‘Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life for Hitchcock’s Masterpiece’ talks to restoration experts Harris & Katz, about their work on “Vertigo.” There are also interviews with Novak, associate producer Herbert Coleman and many others who worked on the film.

‘Partners in Crime: Hitchcock’s Collaborators’ looks at those very specific people who The Master of Suspense loved to work with and relied upon: Saul Bass, who is credited with lifting the job of title sequences to an art form; Edith Head, the Academy Award winning costumer designer for 100’s of films, 11 of which were Hitchcock’s; Bernard Herrmann, a brilliant composer who’s work with Hitchcock is widely considered one of the most historic; Alma Reville, Hitchcock’s wife, is widely known to have been by her husband’s side at all time and weighed in on just about everything he had ever done.

The audio interview that French filmmaker François Truffaut conducted with Hitchcock in 1962 for a book he was writing about the master is also included. It is set to a montage of “Vertigo” clips, complementing the interview. Finally, the disc includes an episode of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” The episode, “The Case of Mr. Pelham,” is about a man who goes to the doctor after many of his friends have told him they have seen him in parts of town he’s never been. The doctor suggests there might be someone who looks very much like him. As with all things Hitchcock, Pelham finds out that … well, you’ll just have to watch it.

The American Film Institute’s top film list ranks “Vertigo” as No. 9. The film didn’t do well upon its release, but many consider it to be Hitchcock’s masterpiece. The use of titles, the music which brings you into the film, the incredible use of the camera and the superb performances by Stewart and Novak are proof positive that “Hitch” was a true film genius. The print of the film is fantastic and if you’re lucky enough to have an upconvert DVD player and a large format TV, you’re in for a real treat.